Can cutter



y l5TT952 w. ARMSTRONG 5 1 CAN CUTTER Filed May 29, 1950 wgybefirmsirang ATTO R N EYS Patented July 15, 1952 I PAT The present:invention v is. directed? to,-, and itis a-n object to" provide, anovel' device-for-splitting cans, which hold a nursery plant; fromtheiupper rim: to'thecantbottom'at'circumferentially spaced pointsiwhereby the" can may-= be: easilybroken.

for ready'removal and transplanting of. the lant: I l

v Another object of the invention" is: to provide "a: can cutter" which.is relatively light-weight; portable; and convenient tousey thedevice'being hand supported and guided; but actuatediinpart onefoot: r Aiurtherobject oi? the invention; iSj'tb. provide ancan cutter which is,operativeLtQ, firstibreak, the upper; rim of; a can, amiito theirsplitfor out. the can fullglength. p p

' additional object. of. the invention is. to pro- 'vid'eja can cutterwhich? embodiesja'novefiaw assembly securedon the. lower end'ofanupstand; inghan'dl'e, and. a f 'oot. levermountedfimcooperativerelation to said jaw. assembly to. actuate the latter,

It' is also an object of the invention-tdprovide a can; cutter whichjsdesignediorease andieconomy ofi manufacture; the device being. Simple.in stizueture.,- butidurableandlstrong...

Stilllanothen object; oil theinventionisto pro.- vide a practicaland.reliableucancutteiz,and one whichewillfIce-exceedingly efiective forthe purpose for which it is designed.

These objectsiare; accomplished by means of such structure and relativearrangementoiparts as willfully appear by a perusalioftlie followinspecification and claims.

In the-drawings:

Fig. ,1; is a perspectiveview of the can; cutter as;.in:.usei j I vEig-z 2-.isu an enlarged side; elevation ofatheecan cutter; the jaw.assembly being. in-open position.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentarysideelevation of the can cutter; with the jawassembly'in closed position.

. Eig: .4 .is; a; top .plan View: of thee-devicewith the handle brokenaway.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary cross section on line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on thedrawings, the can cutter comprises an upstanding elongated handle Ifitted, at its upper end, with a top cross bar 2 adapted for handengagement whereby to manually support and manipulate the device.

At its lower end the handle I has a laterally facing mounting plate 3fixed thereto, and such mounting plate projects some distance below thehandle, as shown.

Annamaria-29, 1950; Se1:ialiNo:.164,8i37-* summe- (clean-a e) Thefront-lowerportion. of" the-mounting plate Biforms a fixedij aw tiha'vihgat'forward guide and cutting ed'gefi e The numeral fiindicatesagenerallybellcrankshaped swinging jaw" pivotedj intermediateitsends, as at 15 totlie mountingpl'ate 3 above the fi xed'ijawportiondiorthelatten As so niounted the swinging jaw 6- is movable fromarr-open position, asiIrFig; 2; tic-a1 closed position, as in'Figa 3such swinging'jaw including a rearWa-rdly facing; blade 8? having a'relatively blunt upper cutting edge and a sharp lowercutting edge-I03 gI The cutting edges it and Hl of theblad'e i! are adapted tocooperate;in: downwardly cutting 're'- lation'; with the cuttingedge 5 orthefixedjaw l, upon swinging of iaw'tbetween: the; aforesaid open andclosedpositions'.

When the. swingingjaw E is; in its: fully,' closed position, as-inFi'g:a v gan I I remains between the extreme lower portions" of. the' cuttingedges 5 and III for thepurpose hereinafter'described'i A; tension springI2 connectsbetween the rearwardlyprojecting leg' P3- of" the swinginglaw 6, anda lower-point onthe mounting plate 3-, wherebyysaid springnormally actsto-urge said swinging jaw 6' to its open position;

A" foot lever I 4* is pivoted, intermediateits end's, as at I5; tothemounting plate 3 rearwardly'0f the tension spring" I 2 and below theswinging-jaw leg I 3 said foot lever I 4- projectingsome distance to.-the.- rear of saidmountin-g plate 3 for ease: of foot'enga'gement.

The tip Wot 'the foot'lever- I 4-engagesj in work'- ing relation; withthe lower edge of said leg [-3 toward the latters rear end;-- suchfootl'ever- I4 including a two-way stop I! thereon adapted to abut-the-rear end-of tliemountingplate-d to limit the uppermost 'and lowermostpositions of said tootdve'r. As the leg I 3 works against the tip of thefoot 'leverz- IA, thes-pring; I525. as it urges theleg lit d'oymwardly;similarly normally urges the foot lever I4 to its uppermost position, asin Fig. 2.

The above described can cutter is used in the following manner:

The user grasps the top cross bar 2 and manipulates the device until theupper rim I8 of a nursery can I9 is engaged to its limit into the thenopen jaw assembly; i. e. between the relatively blunt cutting edge 9 andthe corresponding portion of the cutting edge 5, the latter edge lyingflush against the outside of the nursery can I9.

The user then places one foot, as at 20, on the foot lever l4 anddepresses the latter, with the result that the relatively blunt cuttingedge 9 cuts or breaks through the upper rim I8 01' the can [9.

Thereafter, with the foot lever I4 remaining depressed. with the jawassembly then closed, as in Fig. 3, the entire device is pushed, by handand foot, forcefully downward so that the side of the can l9progressively rides into the V-gap H and is split apart by the adjacentcOQperating portions of the cutting edges 5 and Ill.

When the device reaches the floor 2| a downwardly projecting nub 22, onthe lower edge of the mounting plate 3 directly below the fixed jaw l,strikes said floor and prevents the blade 8 from coming into engagement,with, and possibly being damaged by, the fioor'.

If the side of the nursery can I9 is relatively thick so that it cannotbe split by slicing downwardly with said closed jaw assembly, as'abovedescribed, then such jaw assembly may be scissored as the device islowered. Such scissoring is accomplished merely by recurringlydepressing and then releasing the foot lever I4.

The described can-cutter is convenient to use, and-provides a verypractical device for cutting nursery cans from top to bottom, atcircumferentially spaced points, to permit of breaking open of said canfor removal of the plant 23 and its root system encased in earth 24.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that there hasbeen produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of theinvention, as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferredconstruction of the device, still in practice such deviations from suchdetail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit ofthe invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, the following is claimed as new anduseful, and upon which Letters Patent are desired:

. 1. A can cutter comprising an upstanding handle, a fixed jaw 'on thelower end of the handle having a forward cutting edge, a swinging jawpivoted in connection with the fixed jaw having a rearward cutting edge,said cutting edges cooperating in downward cutting relation upon motionof the swinging jaw from an open position toward the fixed jaw, springmeans tending to move the swinging jaw to open position, and aprojecting foot lever'pivotally mounted in connection with the fixed jawand separate from but cooperating with the swinging jaw to cause motionof the latter from said open position toward the fixed jaw upon footdepression of said lever.

2.. A can cutter comprising an upstanding handle, a laterally facingmounting plate-fixed on the lower end of the handle, the front lowerportion of said plate forming a fixed jaw having an upstanding forwardcutting edge, a swinging jaw pivoted to the mounting plate having arearward cutting edge, said cutting edges cooperating in downwardcutting relation upon motion of the swinging jaw from an open positiontoward the fixed jaw. and a foot lever pivoted on the mounting plateoperative to cause said motion of the swinging jaw.

3. A can cutter comprising an upstanding handle, a laterally facingmounting plate fixed on the lower end of thehandle, the front lowerportion of said plate forming a fixed jaw having an upstanding forwardcutting edge, a swinging jaw pivoted to the mounting plate having arearward cutting edge, said cutting edges c0- operating in downwardcutting relation upon motion of the swinging jaw from an open positiontoward the fixed jaw, the swinging jaw being 01 generally bellcrankshape including a rearwardly extending leg, and a foot lever pivoted onthe mounting plate with the forward end of said lever in workingengagement under said leg and with the rear end projecting from saidmounting plate.

4. A can cutter comprising an upstanding handle, a laterally facingmounting plate fixed on the lower end of the handle, the front lowerportion of said plate forming a fixed jaw having an upstanding forwardcutting edge, a swinging jaw pivoted to the mounting plate having arearward cutting edge, said cutting edges cooperating in downwardcutting relation upon motion of the swinging jaw from an open positiontoward the fixed jaw, the swinging jaw being of generally bellcrankshape including a rearwardly extending leg, and a foot lever pivoted onthe mounting plate with the forward end of said lever in workingengagement under said leg and with the rear end projecting from saidmounting plate; there being a spring connected to the swing jaw, tendingto open the same and to move said leg downward, andstop means betweenthe foot lever and mounting plate operative to limit both upward anddownward motion of said foot lever.

5. A can cutter, as in claim 3, including a nub projecting downward fromthe lower edge of the mounting plate, adjacent its cutting edge, to apoint below the lower end of the swinging jaw when the latter is inclosed position.

WAYNE ARMSTRONG.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

